For Raylan and Danny - Esther plot

[sluttylyingliar]

 Rachel has bounded up and down the steps to their porch hundreds of times. Up and down the four steps quickly and without even thinking about it. Raylan built that porch sturdy and strong and while she's grateful for it, it's not really something she ever thinks about. She doesn't think twice about keeping Jess perched happily on one hip with his baby bag slung around the other shoulder. She's more than ready to get home, half a mind to cook Raylan something for dinner like an actual goddamn wife and reward his heartily with his husbandly rights. 

That's the very last thing she thinks before the top step gives way. Later on, she'll try to remember what happened but in that split second, she managed to get both arms around Jess, pulling him tight as first her shoulder and then face catches the side of the porch, landing her hard on her right side in the dirt. Jess immediately lets out a terrified shriek as Rachel lays gasping on the ground, too stunned to move or to check on Jess. Just gasps and doesn't. move. an inch.

Comments

[haolehothead]

Danny sees the trail end of it, horror flooding him. For a moment, he doesn't move because he sees Jess in her arms. Soon, though, instinct and training kick in and while he's still terrified for both of them, he's sprinting to their side, skidding to his knees and reaching out. "Babe, Rachel!" he says, panicked. "Hey, come on, hey, don't move. Don't move until I'm sure you didn't smack your head."

[angriestman]

He's close enough that he hears her cry out, hears Jess start screaming a split second lat nd he breaks into a run in his rifle against his shoulder.

"Jesus, Rach," he says, all but skidding to his knees at her side. A glance tells him that Jess is okay, so he focuses on her. "Don't move, okay? What the hell happened?"